The thyroid gland is a small organ that’s located in the front of the neck, wrapped around the windpipe aka the trachea. It is shaped like a butterfly, smaller in the middle with two wide wings that extend around the side of your throat. Your thyroid has an important job to do — releasing and controlling the levels of thyroid hormone. The main role of the thyroid hormone is to control many vital functions of your body including your metabolism. Thyroid disorders are very common. In fact, about 12% of people will experience abnormal thyroid function at some point during their lives, and an estimated 20 million people in the Unites States
are suffering from some type of thyroid disorder. Hypothyroidism, also called underactive thyroid, is when the thyroid gland doesn’t make enough thyroid hormones to meet your body’s needs. The thyroid is a small, butterfly-shaped gland in the front of your neck. Thyroid hormones control the way the body uses energy, so they affect nearly every organ in your body, even the way your heart beats. Without enough thyroid hormones, many of your body’s functions slow down.
See your GP if you have symptoms of an overactive thyroid.
They will ask about your symptoms and can arrange a blood test to check how well your thyroid is working if they think you might have a thyroid problem.
If the blood test shows that you have an overactive thyroid, you may be referred for further tests to identify the cause.
medication that stops your thyroid producing too much of the thyroid hormones
radioiodine treatment – where radiation is used to damage your thyroid, reducing its ability to produce thyroid hormones
surgery to remove some or all of your thyroid, so that it no longer produces thyroid hormones
Each of these treatments has benefits and drawbacks. You’ll normally see an endocrinologist (specialist in hormone conditions) to discuss which is best for you.
Eyes are considered as mirrors to your soul, but they can also be described as mirror to your health. Your eyes reflect everything that’s going on in your body. And you have probably noticed that; for example when you’re healthy your eyes have that “sparkle”, on the other hand, when you’re feeling sick your eyes seem heavy and sick as well. Throughout this article, we’ll list things that your eyes say about your health.
Thinning eyebrows
If you notice that outer third of your eyebrows (parts closest to your ears) is slowly disappearing, without plucking etc., then you might have a thyroid disease: either overactive thyroid gland (hyperthyroidism) or underactive thyroid gland (hypothyroidism). Thyroid gland is essential for your overall health as it regulates your metabolism. Furthermore, thyroid hormones are crucial for hair production.
Problems with thyroid disease usually include loss of hair on different parts of body, but since eyebrows are prominent, this occurrence is usually noticed here first. If you notice your eyebrows are thinning, you should consult your health-care provider or dermatologist. Furthermore, before your appointment, list all body changes that occurred recently.
Persistent stye
Small, slightly raised, and sometimes reddish bump that you notice along the inner or outer eyelid margin is, in fact, a stye. They aren’t dangerous. However, if this little bump is persistent and won’t go away even after three months then you might have a form of a rare cancer, sebaceous gland carcinoma.
How to tell them apart? That’s easy, although they look quite similar; styes go away within a month. On the other hand, carcinoma is persistent. You should consult an appointment and consult your ophthalmologist.
Grey ring around the cornea
If you, or someone you know, developed a grey ring around your cornea it could indicate problems with cholesterol and higher levels of triglycerides. The arcus senilis, the grey ring, could mean you have high chances of suffering from cardiovascular diseases or stroke. Ideally, you should do a blood test to check for elevated blood lipids.
Cloudy eye(s)
Noticing cloud-like formation in one or both of your eyes indicates cataract. The condition is more prevalent in older people and can be successfully eliminated through surgical procedure. However, in some cases younger people can develop cataracts as well. It usually happens due to side effects of some medications, diabetes, tumors etc.
Pupils of different sizes + droopy eyelids
If you notice that your eyelids became droopy and pupils have different sizes, you should definitely consult your doctor immediately. These symptoms could indicate presence of Homer’s syndrome which is associated with aneurysms and tumors in your neck.
Twitching
When you feel like your eye is twitching, and you can’t really control it, it’s quite uncomfortable and annoying, but nothing dangerous. Twitching usually occurs when you are stressed out, sleep-deprived, or if you had too much coffee during the day. Twitching usually goes away by itself. However, if you feel like parts of your face are twitching with your eye, then you should consult your doctor as problem could be more severe.
Tips for healthy and younger-looking eyes
When we’re getting ready to go to work or go out on Saturday night, we spend most of our time making our eyes pop. When we’re not going out, we use masks or cucumber slices to relax the sensitive skin around the eyes. Healthy and pretty eyes are crucial for the overall appearance. Here are some tips that you could find useful:
Eye cream – skin around your eyes is sensitive and needs special care. Eye creams are formulated to nourish and protect this sensitive skin to make it prettier and healthier. If you don’t know how to choose the eye cream here are some tips:
For puffiness go for product with caffeine or cucumber
For dark circles opt for cream with vitamins C and K, kojic acid and licorice
For fine lines you should make sure cream has collagen-boosting ingredients such as retinol
If you have thin eyelashes, instead of wasting money on mascaras that promise to plump up the volume, you can opt for eyelash growth products
Wear sunglasses and hats
Quit smoking
Exercise
Don’t spend too much time staring at computer screen.
Conclusion
Your eyes reflect all changes that happen in your body. Therefore, as soon as you notice some changes in or around your eyes you should consult your health-care provider as these changes could be a sign of an underlying medical problem. Ideally, lifestyle fitness, healthy nutrition, and products formulated for your eyes are ideal for making them look healthy and pretty at all times.
Must watch this video: 3 Wonderful Tips for Long and Luscious Eyelashes You Should Know
Margaux Diaz is Health and Beauty Expert. She has interest in building knowledge and self – confidence of people who really want to improve their Life by proper Health guide and stay fit for life time. She is an inspirational writer and has written numerous Articles related to Health and Beauty. Connect with her on Facebook and Twitter
January is Thyroid Awareness Month. We have covered one thyroid condition called Hashimoto’s thyroiditis in more detail here Please check the link out to find out more about the signs and symptoms of Hashimoto’s thyroiditis.
That being said it is not the only thyroid condition out there. Hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism are both common conditions which we will be covering in future blogs for you.
Today, however, we thought it would be useful to share with you “10 Questions to ask about your thyroid health.” from the Excellent Thyroid Awareness site.
It would be great if you could use them next time you visit your Doctor. Oh and please do share.
10 questions to ask about your thyroid health
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
